


Scion of Darkness

by HazelGatoya



Series: Askr Aftershocks [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: ALL THE POLITICS, Arvis has no clue what is going on, Being Reinhardt is Suffering, But it's usually happy confusion, F/M, Ishtar is in a constant state of confusion, Julius would like to command his cult thank you, Neither does Manfroy but he's more frustrated about it, Onesided Reinhardt/Ishtar, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, Same continuity as "My Constant State of Pitying Alphonse", Sara's having fun though, Welcome to the Dark Lord Loptyr's Wild Ride, lots of letters, no beta we die like sigurd, post-Heroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:14:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24502951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HazelGatoya/pseuds/HazelGatoya
Summary: Ishtar's relationship with Crown Prince Julius has always been the most stable thing about him. She knows it, her retainer Reinhardt knows it, all of their parents know it, the entire Empire of Grannvale knows it. She loves him still, despite the fact that the Church of Loptyr has their claws sunk deeply into him with likely no hope of him ever escaping. He's their "prophet" after all.And yet, things are beginning to change in strange ways. He's communicating more, showing a lot more interest in her and in the politics of Grannvale as a whole, more interest in... well, quite frankly, everything.She's not sure what happened, but she can't find it in her to complain.(Alternate Title: "Ishtar, how many times do I have to ask you to drop the "Lord" in front of my name?!")
Relationships: Ishtar/Yurius | Julius
Series: Askr Aftershocks [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1770409
Comments: 16
Kudos: 31





	1. Back to Your Beginnings, Kid

The air _flickered_ for a moment.

Ishtar froze, and then Julius sat bolt upright next to her with a startled gasp. Ah- he was awake. She quietly swallowed, trying not to be disappointed. They barely got quiet moments together anymore and he still needed rest to recover from that fever that had finally broken yesterday. Thank all the gods for Saias... "Are you alright?" she asked as she closed her book, seeing that he was staring at the room around them somewhat blankly.

He blinked, turning that stare to her, and a whole range of emotions flickered across his face in a second before he smiled for the first time today, even laughing quietly. "Yes, I'm fine. Just... had a strange dream."

"Really?" Ishtar blinked, beating down the part of her brain that was trying to figure out the last time she'd seen such a soft smile and laugh from him. "You were only asleep for fifteen minutes and it looks like that dream was very..."

"Lucid?" He shrugged, and it turned into a full stretch as he gave a slight smirk. "Because it was, even if the time that I was asleep was pretty short. Guess I'm special."

His nonchalant tone startled Ishtar into laughing, and his small smirk turned into a wide grin as he moved close again, putting his arm over her shoulders this time. "You're very special, Lord Julius," she agreed. And in s _uch_ a good mood, these moments were rare. She wished she knew what had caused it, that would be the fastest way to recreate it.

"Julius," he hummed the correction, as he tended to when he was in as good a mood as he was, and her smile softened. She leaned in since he was close enough anyways, and their lips met. He lifted his free hand to gently tangle in her pale purple hair, and she placed her hands on his waist.

Then there was a knock on the door, and Ishtar felt the moment shatter, Julius's lips tightening for a moment before leaving hers. 

Swallowing her disappointment, she pulled away to look as the dark wooden door opened to reveal Reinhardt. She felt Julius immediately slump against her when he saw her retainer, arms still draped around her and head resting on her shoulder. Reinhardt pressed his lip together, and the temperature seemed to just... drop a couple of degrees. She couldn't see the expression on Julius's face, but she would be willing to bet good money that it was not a happy one. So much for that good mood. "My apologies, Lady Ishtar, Your Highness. But I just received word from Duke Blume. He wants you back home, milady."

Ishtar forced her teeth not to grind together. It wasn't Reinhardt's fault, she would not snap at him, that was not fair. _Father is not being fair either._ "Lord Julius is still recovering. I told Father that I would return in my own time."

Reinhardt bowed slightly, not wincing though she knew he could hear the cold undertone to her otherwise calm voice. "If that is still your answer, I will relay that to the messenger. His wording was rather insistent, though. The rebels are being troublesome for your brother."

Julius sighed softly against her, and Ishtar pressed her lips together, glancing down at him. Seeming to feel her gaze, he glanced up at her through his bangs, expression unreadable before he reached up to the top of the couch and pulled himself into a sitting position, settling down again with his arms crossed. "If you are required at home, Ishtar, I won't argue. I'm not nearly as... lightheaded... as I was this morning."

She didn't want to leave him. Especially after the last few days, his face screwed up in pain and the heat of his body had been haunting her. She'd barely left his side for those days, he'd begged her not to, today was the first time since the beginning of the week that he'd been able to walk. On the other hand, she couldn't just... leave her brother and cousin alone. Especially with the rebel problem. "You're certain?"

He gave her another small, soft smile, spreading his arms. "Do I look ill?"

Ishtar studied him. He was still a bit pale, but... no. That fifteen-minute nap seemed to have done wonders for him, though it could be the fact that he was fully dressed despite her protests. He had been very insistent on it this morning. "And you're not just saying that you're fine so you can throw yourself back into work with the church?"

He blinked, that blank look coming back for a moment before his brow furrowed. "No. No, but I..." he looked to the side, bringing a loosely curled fist up to his mouth. "Gods, I have a lot to do." He looked back at her, and she was caught off guard by the warmth in his expression. "I won't overextend myself, Ish. I promise."

_Ish._

He hadn't- he hadn't called her _Ish_ since they were both _children._ She couldn't say no to him like this, not when her feelings were all clashing inside of her chest. Not when she wanted to cry and laugh, hug him and never let him go and crumple on the ground and beg him to stay. Stay like _this._ Not worry about the child hunts and being Crown Prince and everything else in their lives, just be here with her where he was Julius and she was Ish, and they were safe.

But that would be a lie, and she wasn't just Ish anymore either, so she just gave a short nod. "Very well, Lord Julius."

"Julius," he corrected again, crossing his arms, and she smiled again, getting up. He quickly got to his feet as well, grabbing her hand and kissing her cheek. "Stay safe. I... would be lost without you, Ishtar."

"You know I feel the same." She smiled at him, her eyes burning with tears she refused to let him see as she squeezed his hand. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Good luck with the church."

He was quiet for a moment before something like steel entered his eyes and he gave a wry grin. "I'm going to need it. Thanks." He looked back to Reinhardt, eyes narrowing for a moment, before he gave a soft sigh and released her hand. "...You know your duty."

Reinhardt looked slightly startled at being addressed, but bowed deeply. "No harm will come to her as we travel nor at the hands of the rebels, Your Highness. I will die before her blood is spilled."

"Then we're done here." Julius closed his eyes, sitting back down on the couch, and Ishtar recognized the dismissal. She still smiled lightly as she walked out of the room, Reinhardt closing the door behind her.

The green-cloaked members of the Loptyrian Church were hovering in the corridor, silent with their stares masked by their hoods. Ishtar nodded to them curtly and then began walking down the corridor, trying not to think of them as vultures. It was hard to when they were hovering so close to Julius's door, waiting for him to emerge from his room now that he had recovered from his illness. 

...She was already beginning to regret letting him talk her out of leaving, but there was no help for that now. Inhale, exhale, Ishtar. Things would be fine. "Milady, are _you_ feeling alright?" Reinhardt asked once they were out of earshot of the priests. "You looked a bit... overwhelmed... before leaving."

She took another breath. Reached up to tie her hair back into it's ponytail.

She was Ishtar, the one the people of the empire had proclaimed the goddess of thunder.

She could not stand up to Julius, nor by his side as his lover, nor protect him from further harm and manipulation if she was not strong.

"I will be once we're on the road. Let's go see what Father was so insistent about."


	2. Quoth the raven: "Ish."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julius and Ishtar stay in contact despite being apart.

_Ish,_

_I already miss you, and was really_ _sad that I don't get to talk to you anymore, but then I remembered about Ette!_ _I hope you don't mind me writing so soon, but I wanted to make sure she remembered you since it's been so long since I've used her to talk to you_ _. How is the journey going? The roads aren't too rough?_

_Julius_

_Lord Julius,_

_I had honestly forgotten that you had a pet raven. It would seem that Juliette does in fact remember me despite not having seen me in a few months._ _I forget how long it's been, exactly, but hearing your voice call out my name_ _nearly_ _startled poor Reinhardt off of his horse before we both realized it was her_ _._

 _She's very pleased with herself, actually. She keeps bobbing her head happily_ _whenever she looks at Reinhardt and he knows she's making fun of him, I can tell by his expression_ _._ _I'm guessing she didn't get much of an opportunity to scare members of the Church while you were using her for that purpose_ _._

 _The journey is going well, we reached Mother's home and she'll be accompanying us on the way back- she says it has obviously_ _been too long since she's checked on Father if he's dragging me away from you_ _._ _She demanded that I ask you if you were still feeling alright, and says that I shouldn't have left you despite my family's need_. _"Territory can_ _be reconquered_ _, but if you are a comfort to the Crown Prince, you should be by his side while he's recovering because he is the only heir we have_." _She says very strange things sometimes._

_I was going to ask even without her insistence, and now it leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth to do so but... I am still worried about you, Lord Julius. I know it's only been a day, but are you still feeling alright? No chills, odd flashes of light, or mood swings? The Church isn't running you ragged? If you want me to, I will still return. Mother has a tendency to overrule Father's word, therefore it's possible for me to do so._

_With all devotion,_

_Ishtar_

_Dearest Ishtar,_

_I asked Ette to make a very big show of clearing her throat when you first started reading, but if she didn't, you can just_ _imagine said show in front of the following word: Julius._

 _I am really_ _glad that she remembers you. Your handwriting is beautiful and I didn't realize how much I missed it._ _I'd be lying if I said I didn't want you to come back, but again, if you are more needed by your family- which for the record,_ _I believe_ _you are- then be with your family_ _. I am_ _perfectly_ _fine. No chills at all, nor odd flashes of light._ _The mood swings are not related to sickness, but I'm pretty sure they've calmed down to something manageable_ _. I'm fine with that result for now- it's as Father has always said to me, "manage your flame." I plan to do so._

 _Your mother is a strange woman, if you don't mind me saying. I happen to think that it's very clear that we love each other and she_ _really_ _doesn't need to spend so much time worrying about our relationship._ _Her continued commentary is making me... uncomfortable is the best word,_ _I think_ _._ _Even if she never actually says any of those things around me, hearing them secondhand still makes my spine crawl a bit and I can only imagine how awful it is for you when you have to hear it firsthand_ _._

 _The Church is the Church. Manfroy isn't making me do too much, he's glad I'm now in good health even if he seems rather anxious about things he's not telling me about, but that's nothing new_. _Honestly_ , _I've been spending most of my time looking over the blueprints for our buildings and playing around on the ballroom piano- also scaring servants half to death doing the latter._

 _I won't be using Ette for business anymore, I prefer to speak to my members in person. So we can keep this little way of communicating. Do tell me if anything goes wrong or if anything particularly odd happens. Or if things are boring. I honestly_ _just_ _like hearing from you._

_Julius_

_Lord Julius,_

_She did the entire display. Scared poor Tinni half to death this time because she still does most of her speaking in your voice, but it did make Ishtore laugh._ _As for the reason for said display, there are times that you have preferred that I use your title, and_ _I believe_ _it would be best to keep using it in letters for that reason_ _. I wouldn't want to disrespect you in any way when you reread these, which it sounds like you do._

 _Mother decided to warp us to Father's estate, so we've actually been helping Ishtore for the past few days rather than traveling._ _I can see why he's been having trouble, but with the combined might of our armies, we are suppressing the rebel armies_ _. They should_ _be dealt_ _with by the end of the week at the latest._

_I had no idea you had any interest in pianos. Is this a new... whim? Something like the redecorating when you were thirteen? On that note, you said you were looking at blueprints, is that coming back?_

_Ishtar_

_My love,_

_Gods, I forgot about the redecorating phase. I shouldn't have given the state of my room is still in came from that, but we both know that my memory is unreliable even on my best days. That was a time._ _Whether or not_ _I feel_ _the burning urge to start ripping apart church decor is something that remains to_ _be seen_ _, so_ _I don't think_ _it's coming back in full force_ _. I have found some pretty interesting details in those blueprints, though._

 _The interest in pianos has actually been around for quite awhile. I've just_ _been too busy or too embarrassed to share it. I'm hardly a master at it yet and I only want you to hear my best._

 _How is your cousin, by the way?_ _I hear a lot about your brother from the court, but not a lot about her- which is understandable because she doesn't own an entire fort._

_Julius_

Ishtar gently stroked the top of of Juliette's head, the raven quiet as she studied the letter, wondering about the prince's sudden interest in Tinni. Perhaps it was because she'd mentioned her in the last letter, but Juliette _had_ scared the poor younger girl initially and she'd shared the little tidbit about Reinhardt so she'd thought she might as well. Tinni had actually quickly warmed to the bird, finding the amused head bobs whenever they were in the same room cute. Reinhardt was a different story, but then, she'd startled him so badly that he'd almost fallen off his horse. The injury risk had been far more severe in his case.

Reinhardt entered the room, pausing when he saw the raven. Speak of the devil. "Hello," Juliette crooned in Ishtar's voice.

"Another letter?" he questioned. "He's... being oddly affectionate this week."

"He is, but... I can't say that I mind." Ishtar smiled wistfully at the letter. Julius had had days like this before, days that sometimes extended into two or three, but this was the longest that he'd spent staying in constant contact with her when they weren't speaking in person. He was easily distracted when something wasn't right in front of him, and that included her. She didn't mind it too much, but it did make this week all the more lovely even with the rebel problem.

She couldn't help but wonder when it would end, as his particularly affectionate periods always did...

Another bird, an unassuming pigeon, landed on the windowsill. Juliette clacked her beak at it and the tiny note attached to it. Ishtar stiffened, her plummeting mood becoming pure dread that she did not dare let show on her face. She reached out, taking it and unfurling it.

_Thruud, this is Fjalar. There's a river moving through Friege territory, ready to flood Manster. The bishop will be there in my stead. Please scatter the water._

He used a different bird every time but she did happen to know exactly who this was. It had been awhile since the last huge call for sacrifices, hadn't it? The date and time for the "river" had been included at the bottom of the paper. She sent a guilty glance to Juliette, who looked back up at her and cocked her head. "Ish," she greeted her in Julius's voice.

Ha. That was probably meant to comfort her, but it was the last thing that she needed to hear against the pain in Emperor Arvis's voice when he'd first begged her to help him with his token resistance against the Loptyrian Church. " _The lives of a few children are still less lives wasted even if it does nothing, Ishtar. I know you love Julius, and I know how important this is to him. But I cannot have this on my conscience without fighting back and I doubt you can either. Please."_

"Reinhardt, I'm going to be gone tomorrow night. Do not follow me. Inform my parents that I went back to my fort if they ask."

He blinked at the orders, but pressed his lips together and dipped into a deep bow. "It will be done, milady."

Ishtar closed her eyes when he left, and then wrote a response to send back with the pigeon. "I'm sorry, Julius," she muttered as she sent it flying off into the night. "Juliette, I'll get a letter for you in a moment."

_I understand. There will be no trace of a river after I leave Manster, Fjalar._


	3. I Don't Need a Shell to Hear an Ocean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julius makes a new friend.

The halls of Belhalla's largest and most impressive building were... pretty boring. Many scared servants scurried around like mice, and the others, the wolves in green clothing, glared at her white dress and wavy hair as she walked forward, her purpose clear in mind. She could hear the whispers, their desire to tell her grandfather, who would be displeased with her presence. He would send her back to that fort on the border between Friege and Thracia territory and tell her to stay put if he found her in Belhalla.

If he did, she'd have to walk all the way back, and that would be annoying. Perhaps if he did, the voice would come to her. Or perhaps her grandfather would actually kill her rather than send her away, but she doubted it. She was too precious, and he did so hate waste within the Cult, yet cared not for the lives outside of it.

A foolish, disgusting man who was too smart for anyone's good but his own.

There were guards now, but no one moved to stop her. She could see the confusion in their eyes as she strode forwards with so much purpose. They weren't used to it. Everyone here fluttered back and forth in fear of what might happen to them if they were too loud, too bold.

They'd probably drown, given that the song she was hearing had the sound of waves underneath it, and she was fairly certain that she knew who it was.

She wasn't being loud, but she was definitely being bold, and she definitely knew what she was doing when everyone else didn't even know what _they themselves_ were doing, much less her. It probably wasn't supposed to be so easy to get to the office she could hear the singing coming from, but she could also hear them justifying her ability to walk among them. She was a child. A child likely meant no harm. Perhaps she was part of the Cult, bringing news. Perhaps she had escaped the Cult and was looking for refuge. If so, how could they stop her? It wasn't their business.

People were funny. 

She reached the doors, finding two guards at either side of it, but they didn't stop her either. She felt that they wanted to, though. However, the singing on the other side was loud enough now that she knew that she needed to continue, so she pushed the door open in the face of their hesitation, and stepped into the Emperor's office, letting the waves and the song wash over her as she did.

His presence was so strong now... she'd felt it before, but there had been two wildly different creatures within it. A little bird fluttering around on a raft in a turbulent ocean. Now, there was no bird, but the ocean was different, calmer, full of light and life as well as darkness and death. He hadn't noticed her yet from his seat on the floor, surrounded by books and papers, long pale fingers flicking beads to the side on an abacus with his brow furrowed in concentration.

The Emperor had looked up from his papers, though, and was frowning slightly at her presence, but he felt... Sara frowned too. She did hate seeing people in pain, and he looked and felt so very tired. The slight warmth of his soul was the feeling of embers just barely staying above the all-encompassing ocean that filled every part of this office. He glanced to his son on the floor, and then back to her before looking up and glaring slightly at the guards that had poked their heads in. "Leave us."

The doors closed and the god on the floor blinked out of his concentration, looking up and staring at her for a moment before lighting up all at once in his excitement, the song ending on a triumphant note and vanishing. "Oh! You came!"

"You were calling for me, so yes." Sara returned his beam with a small smile of her own. "Hello, Prince Julius." She then turned to the tired Emperor and curtsied. "I am sorry to barge in, Your Majesty."

Any embers of irritation or surprise within him had been cooled far too quickly for her liking, but there was a definite wariness still within him. Protectiveness that still glowed with a brightness that belied how helpless and cold the rest of him was. "If my son wanted to see you, it couldn't be helped," he replied easily, and she was glad to hear that his voice was still strong. As an Emperor's should be. "Julius-" Ah, there was the hesitation, but he continued with his question despite the fact that he had likely been weathering the turbulent ocean longer than anyone. "What is this about?"

The prince was gathering up his papers into a haphazard pile. "Oh, Father, this is Sara. I just wanted to talk to her about a few things, see if she wanted to work for me, take a more active role in things than she's been able to."

Emperor Arvis frowned lightly. "Church business?"

"Of a sort, I'd assume." Sara fidgeted a bit with her hands. Work for the prince personally? She wondered what she had done to catch his attention so. It did sound less boring than simply waiting away her time in that fort. "But I don't think I am here to be consumed."

Prince Julius snorted, standing up with his papers and scrolls held precariously with one arm, and the abacus held in his free hand. The sea was still bright and calm, which she inwardly marveled at. "Oh no, no. Of course not. If it were something like that, I'd have sent Manfroy to put you with the group heading here instead of waiting for you to come yourself." He set the abacus on his- at this point _very_ confused- father's desk. "We really do need another abacus, I don't understand why there's only one- you didn't walk all the way here, did you?"

"Not all the way. Some kind people were willing to give me carriage rides since I was heading to Belhalla and not away from it." The Emperor's protective and panic sparks flared lightly, his confusion shutting down- oh. Sara cocked her head at the sudden rather lucid, belated thought about Manster. _Oh, how interesting._

"Makes sense." Prince Julius nodded, shifting the papers in his hands. "I'm glad, though, that's a long ways to walk. And the guards gave you no trouble on the way up?"

"No-"

Before any more could be said, cold annoyance and anger slammed into the room as the door opened behind them, and all of the light was snuffed out of Prince Julius in an instant as the ocean began churning, the sputtering embers in Emperor Arvis suddenly becoming a snarling pyre of smoky, broken rage.

Sara was fairly certain that her soul was a thundercloud as well as she turned around to face her grandfather and his scowl, tilting her chin up proudly. The complete lack of fear or respect at being caught misbehaving only caused his scowl to grow deeper. "Sara-"

"You really shouldn't barge into Father's office without permission, Manfroy," Prince Julius interrupted quietly, his cold hand coming to rest on her shoulder, long fingers digging into it, and the strong smell of freshly tilled soil filled her nostrils, everything otherworldly except the overwhelming, snarling, ancient rage of the dragon surrounding her and it's mortal core getting drowned out.

Grandfather looked taken aback by the quiet reprimand, his scowl fading as he raised his gaze to the prince. "Forgive me, my lord Julius... I was unaware that you were in here. I hope my granddaughter hasn't been bothering you."

_I called her here, imbecile._

Sara focused on steady breathing and not trembling. Even Grandfather, blind and deaf as he was compared to her, seemed to notice that something was wrong. He looked unsettled, but he clearly couldn't see the dark dragon snarling just above his head. "No, no, I actually am quite enjoying her company," Prince Julius replied in a singsong sort of tone. Quiet, light. The opposite of his inner voice that was hissing and snarling a rage that was almost intelligible. "I called her here once I found out about her existence, you know? I just thought that she could contribute more to the Church as a whole."

"Your Highness, I can't recommend this-" _And I must listen to everything you recommend, oh I absolutely **must-**_ "Sara may be my granddaughter, but she is overall a disappointment. Extraordinarily disobedient, a dreamer, has it in her head that she knows what's best for herself." Grandfather had a stern look on his face, but he couldn't see the seething bitterness just beneath what the prince was allowing to show. It was almost exhilarating, to find her own feelings towards the old man amplified so strongly within the dark god. Perhaps this was why the rest of the Cult had given themselves to him, completely and utterly- he fed their darkest emotions, and the catharsis had been worth all that they inflicted on others. "I had her at that fort to try and rehabilitate her into a more suitable heir for the dark lord's purposes. She'll be of no use to us here and needs to return."

"Well, it's my decision." Prince Julius chuckled softly, his hand remaining on Sara's shoulder. "I like her as she is. I'm sure I can find a use for her."

Grandfather frowned. "Your Highness, I must insist-"

"No." _**No more.**_ _I am your **god** , not your puppet. _"It's _my_ decision," he repeated. "I want to keep her here."

"I would not mind staying," Sara chimed in, because she _understood_. She understood his rage, she even understood all of the hazy thoughts of murder that she couldn't truly see- even if she couldn't abide the thought of snuffing out anyone's existence. Not even one as dark and destructive as her Grandfather's. "Not if I can serve Prince Julius."

Now Grandfather looked like he had been slapped with a brick, and Sara simply smiled as the dark atmosphere in the room lessened, the prince taking a subtle, calming breath behind her. The smell of earth wasn't quite as strong now as he struggled with his rage, cooling himself down. "Sounds like it's settled to me," he remarked cheerfully. "I'm going to go make arrangements with her." He began walking, gently pushing her past Grandfather with his hand moving to her back rather than her shoulder. 

"Your Highness-"

"Oh, and talk to the guards, would you? The fact that she could simply walk from the entrance all the way to Father's office is just a little disturbing even if I'm pleased with the outcome."

The guards on either side of the door paled considerably at that, and Grandfather looked like he was choking now, but Sara turned around as they continued out and down the hall, and did not look back. "Do you want me to hold some of those papers...?" she asked cautiously, still aware that the sea was slightly turbulent even if she couldn't easily read him anymore. "They're kind of sliding."

The turbulence cleared up as he gave a bit of an awkward chuckle. "They are, but I can..." He took his hand away, adjusting the papers in his hands into a more steady position. "There."

"I've never seen Grandfather so surprised." Sara's smile grew. "I don't think I'll be getting bored here. But I must warn you, he wasn't lying when he said I think I know what's best for myself."

"I think you'll like what I have planned." He gave her a sharp grin before seeming to think of something. "Well, maybe not all of it, I'm not going to pretend I know you that well. But I'm not expecting you to just follow all of my orders to the letter without question, so you don't have to worry about that." He'd be the first, and the thought that it was _him_ who was giving her permission to question orders was quite frankly hilarious. "You never got the standard tattoos for the Church, right?"

"No." The halls were empty or emptied quickly as they two of them walked down them. Despite how calm the ocean was, people were still terrified of their young prince, it would seem. "I don't think I want them, either. Do you think I should officially join the Cult?"

"Mehhh, the specifics of how this will affect the overall body of the Church isn't really important right now. Later plans if the initial ones work out." He'd been waving a hand, and he suddenly fumbled with the papers again, giving a soft squawk of distress, but managed to keep them all in place.

No. Given the sudden changes that were clearly taking place in the Church's prized vessel who was now far more god yet acted far more human, Sara could not see herself getting bored in this palace. How much her presence right next to the Church's beloved _àrdachadh_ was undoubtedly going to bother her Grandfather was just a nice bonus to how much fun this looked like it was going to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sara is so much fun to write, I don't understand why she doesn't show up more in fanfics lol. Finally getting a bit of a look at Julius outside of what Ishtar sees. :)


End file.
